For Caleb Ewan, January is a confidence month. Named in Mitchelton-Scott's 2018 Tour de France team, this season is another important milestone in his young career. A stage winner at the Vuelta a Espana in 2015 and the Giro d'Italia in 2017, winning early and winning often is key to Ewan's Tour aspirations.
Ewan will turn 24 during his debut Tour, on the lumpy stage 5 from Lorient to Quimper, but before the European summer, the focus is on sweeping all before him across the Australian summer. With a third straight criterium title in the pocket, Ewan's next goal is Sunday's road race and the possibility of lining out as the national champion at the Tour.
"I think about wearing the green and gold, but obviously it is going to be hard again and hopefully it is going to be a headwind up the climb and I can have a real shot at it," said Ewan, referencing the weather conditions that aided his silver medal from 2015.
ADVERTISEMENT
With Mitchelton-Scott, Australia's sole WorldTour team, the favourites for the Australian nationals in recent years, the BMC quartet of Simon Gerrans, Richie Porte, Rohan Dennis and Miles Scotson has arguably taken up that mantle for 2018 - a fact that Ewan embraces ahead of the 185.3km race.
"It is going to be hard. BMC have a really strong lineup, and I am not going to give away too much of our plan but it is definitely going to be tough," he said.
"I think we have had the pressure on us the last few years and it might be alright for another team to take the pressure off us."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2E3eMP9
No comments:
Post a Comment